I've found a deep and real love for sewing and quilting! The only thing that I enjoy more is connecting with all of you about it!
I have become totally obsessed with our baby tortoises- so ridiculously cute!
I am a mom of 2 boys and wife to a great guy!
With my full time job, family and my love of crafting, I am pretty busy most of the time! Add Rheumatoid Arthritis, unfortunately, and you have Me! I try not to let it get me down, though I Do walk much like our tortoises, at times! haha

InterActive ScrapChat- How it works!

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Hello everyone!It came to my attention recently that I neglected to post the awesome batiks that I had gotten when www.eQuilter.com had their last big sale.

We can't have that, now, can we!I found all of these online (of course) and just couldn't say no. The sale that they were having made it very possible for me to say yes..over and over again! haha!The top photo is mostly Batiks with a few other thrown in at the bottom.The second photo is of the "treasure pack" that they offer.It was $20 and as you can see I got quite a few in my bundle!They are having another sale and since I said yes so many times last month, I will have to close my eyes and pretend that I didn't see any of their great fabrics that I just MUST have!! lol

I hope you enjoyed the peek at my fabric!Hopefully, I will think of something awesome to make with them soon and I can post that, of course!Have a Great Day and God Bless!!

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Happy weekend all!I So love the slow relaxing weekends when I can sew!Most especially when I am working on a project, but when am I not!? hahaI bit the bullet today and cut the minky off my flannel See The Before Post Here!so I could try to fix it.My top and bottom pieces are cut the same (since I sewed it without fancy corners) at 23" x 36". It doesn't look quite as I wanted it to- Minus the minky on the front and without the cool mitered corners.All and all though, I like it! It STILL isn't perfect, as I NEVER am ;)I wanted to quilt on it some because I have heard that the minky tends to stretch out and if it isn't anchored that might happen more easily.Of course, I wanted to use a fun stitch for my good friends baby girl, so I chose the tulip stitch that my machine comes loaded with.I was going to follow a few of the vines on the flannel since that seemed like the easiest and perfect way to anchor it even better. After starting I liked the back so much, I decided to do almost all of the vines on the top. You can see it in the pictures, though it's hard to tell they are tulips! Without further ado, Those pictures!

The top flannel is kind of poofy.. Not really flat. I actually like it like that, a lot!The minky is nice and flat, though, so that is SOMEthing!! The stitching should make it super durable and it definitely has interest! HA!I hope little Josie loves it!That's it for today. I'd love to hear your minky stories! I now have a whopper of one, myself!Have a great weekend and God Bless!!

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Hello again!I hope all is well for you!? Everything here is good!As I feared, I am definitely more strapped for sewing time now the school has started. :(I get to it as much as I can, which wasn't enough BEFORE my time was so limited! hahaI spoke to a good friend last week and found out that she is actually due with their baby girl a month sooner than I thought, eek! End of November sounds a lot closer than the end of December!So I got the super soft minky, (that I found on sale, yay!) and flannel out and got right to work!I have been watching all sorts of youtube videos from MSQC to prepare myself.I've heard that minky can be a real struggle.I just LOVE a challenge! It can't be THAT bad, right!?It turns out though.. That my whole personal mantra of "I can't see straight let alone draw, paint or apparently, sew and quilt straight" is a difficult factor for me to overcome.So.. Admittedly, this blanket has a LOT of problems.I am sure I did a whole score of things "not quite right" but I think it all comes down to one fatal error.. I am pretty sure that I forgot to trim off the extra 3/4 inch from the bottom..THAT will NEVER happen, Ever, Ever, Again!!So, regardless of the other errors that I am Sure are present.. This was never going to turn out the way I had hoped it would. I had dreams of presenting this beautiful blanket to my friend and their new bundle of joy.. Little Josie would just love it and all would be perfect..hmm... THEN I woke up and realized that I have to go BACK to the store and get plain ol flannel and make her some beautiful Regular blankets.. sigh..Thank goodness I kept my big mouth shut about what I just had to give her!!So maybe my dream can still come true.. Just with a different blanket. =D lolThe plus side though.. My 8 year old boy happens to LOVE it and does not care one little wit that it is PINK. HA!So, I may just try to quilt it anyway, just to give it a shot. He won't mind.As he said, in all of his brilliance, "It does not have to be perfect!"What a little sweetie.. I am sure he is aware of his moms inability to accomplish perfect or close to it, no matter how hard I try. And he is ok with that, it seems. =DCheck out my hot mess...haha.. I got 1 corner nice, at least!!! UGHHH

(Side note- the blanket is sitting on the Crochet- Honeycomb Area Rug (Here) & (My 1st Honeycomb Crochet Area Rug post is here, with more details) that I made in June, we love it!)Back to the blanket.. I thought about pulling all of it out and trimming it (correctly, this time!!) and just making a smaller blanket. I decided that I didn't want to risk it and have it turn out wrong still, so I'll take the chickens way and find my nearest fabric store, Stat! lol - Then I'll be watching all of those YouTube videos, again, just to be sure I don't screw up. Again.Have you ever screwed something up so bad that you just couldn't give that gift, at all!? Please tell me I am not alone! =DHave a wonderful week and God Bless!

Monday, September 19, 2016

Hello all!I hope everyone had a great weekend and a wonderful start to their week!My weekend was good and relaxing.. Except that I screwed up the baby blanket I was working on.. =*(I'll post THAT rediculousness as soon as I get over it.. hahaHowever, my Week started out wonderfully!I don't know if you remember my getting WAY too excited because I was one of the 16 winners in Therm o Web's 16,000 fan giveaway?!So, Yeah, I totally won! yay!They did a FANTASTIC job on their prizes too!So I KNOW of Therm o Web, of course.. But I had NO idea that they not only did supplies for sewing and quilting but also (DUH!) adhesives for scrapbooking, too! Adhesives can do a LOT in sewing, quilting, applique and try scrapbooking without it! hahaI love scrapbooking, but I haven't been doing much of it lately, I've been too wrapped up in sewing! I miss it sometimes, but then I remember this *awesome thing* (or 6..haha) that I am working on at my sewing machine and I forget again. lolThey gave me wonderful reasons to get my scrapbookin stuff back out...sometime...hmmm!I thought I would share pictures, those are always fun!!I tried to seperate everything into a paper group and a fabric group. But I still have to figure out what a couple of things are!! ha!They gave us these bags with the sponsored products on them to hold all of the fun stuff, too!

There are so many things that I have never tried! I can't wait to check them out and figure out what each thing does! The iCraft Mixed Media Adhesive looks awesome, though!It looks like it can be used on almost anything, even non porous to porous.. So many options!! It is so exciting to win something. I feel like a little kid. hahaThat is all for now, I hope you enjoied the sneak peek =DHave a fantastic week and God Bless!

Thursday, September 15, 2016

I have been on a big sewing kick lately! I bet you've noticed!I just cannot get enough..Over summer I started 2 projects the Turtle Tote, and One of Several Posts about my Batiks Quilt that I'm currenty working on and finished 2 projects My Apron, and Baby's Applique Elephant Pillowcase! The ideas in my head are swirling and the fabric choises are endless! ...Making even more ideas swirl.. Thank goodness I don't get seasick! haI've got so many "projects for later" that I could swim in them!! HAThere are always a million things going on and it seems impossible to sit down and actually sew anything! I can't get to my table every day =(But, I can TRY to get there a couple times a week, if I'm lucky!Never in my life did I think I would be (slightly) happy that my kids go to their dads for a few days, every other week. On THOSE days, I can almost certainly get some good QT with my machine! You have to look at the plus side of everything, or you'll go crazy! Believe me.. It was a plus that took years for me to realize. ;)Well, I am off to add to my never ending, always rotating list! =DI've got an itch to start something.. Let the search begin! =DBy the way, If your ever on www.Disqus.com check out my channelinteractivescrapchatwamyscrapspot.disq.usInterActive ScrapChat can be in the comments under the tab for it on my blog OR we can hang out on Disqus!

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Hello Everyone!I hope you are all having a wonderful week!Yesterday was my birthday, so hubby and I took the day off of work =)Since it was "my day" I was at a local quilt shop at 10 in the morning!I pretty much refuse to do ALmost any kind of shopping before 12. I DO make exceptions for fabric, though! HA!

Since I've gotten my blocks all figured out, I decided that I want to make my quilt bigger. If it can't reach my chin AND cover my toes, it's too short. LOLSo, I was in search of (THE) blue that will add resting spots and some big bold squares!I hadn't thought about incorporating solid blocks. It seemed like I needed to cut it up and sew it, just because! but.. MAYBE not having it all fussy will look good in it's own way, too.. We shall see! I can ALWAYS pull stitches (I'm REALLY good at that!) and do it differently.

I have almost all of my pairs sewn, now I need to attach the pairs to THEIR pairs and then the main blocks will be done!Then I can add the sashing to each block and decide how big I want my solid blue blocks. This is so exciting!I am cruising right through this quilt top! I hope that luck continues through the CUTTING of the sashing pieces and all of that fun.. hahaTake a look at the blue that I choose

It will ALMOST match our living room! No one ever accused me of liking muted colors, that's for sure!! haha

I hope to get more done as the week progresses and I will show you the progress once there is some! Thank you for stopping by!If you don't already, please follow me! Growing my followers has really been working! Thank you!! =D Check out my page at the top labeled InterActive ScrapChat! I'd LOVE to see what your working on!I hope you have a fantastic day and God Bless!

Not only did I finish sewing my 4 strip sets, I was also able to cut them (correctly!!), sew the squares together, cut them into their final squares and iron them allllllll flat!
Wow.. I am shocked that I was able to get all that done in a few hours.. I guess I hit my groove!

I was so worried that I wouldn't meet my September goal and here I've met it weeks early!! (So early, infact, that I have to wait 2 weeks to post it on the -OMG It's Finished- party...HA!)

I LOVE the way they turned out.. and I Can Not Wait to finish it!!!

Take a look at the blocks!

I know.. They look a little crazy..

I laid them out last night and was considering options when my hubby spoke up. We laid it out a bit differently and the pattern he seen is sooo cool!

He's good at artsy stuff and has a good eye.

Sometimes I swear I am color-blind, so we make a good team! lol

I don't know if this is the final draft, but I'll show you anyway =)

I just love the way the blocks look!!

I am now searching for a blue that I can border the bigger blocks with.. It is very busy and I am thinking it could use a bit of something so your eyes can rest somewhere..

Thursday, September 8, 2016

There is a page tab above for this post/page!Today I am taking the First step in making my blog the InterActive blog of my (and hopefully yours, too!) dreams!If you remember my promise last month, you have been expecting Something.. I didn't give many hints. ;)This is the "Practice Run" and I will make changes and updates as necessary.I think the first thing that has to happen, aside from the Idea (Light Bulb!), is to put it into motion and see how it goes!Big Surprise, I like to jump in with both feet.. hahaI have been running over ideas in my head and it just seemed like I needed to get into it to really make any actual decisions.. It will also help me to see what is good/bad about the decisions that I have made already!So...Here Goes Nothin'InterActive ScrapChat is something that I came up with as a way for Quilters and Sewests to come together and have (possibly) a whole group conversation! At this time, It will be in the comment section until I see if I should create a separate space altogether for this.I'm thinking (HOPING) a separate blog will not only be a good move but a necessary one! I will be looking into options for this as soon as possible.For that to happen, I have to see if anyone else is as intrigued with this idea as I am! The idea that you can enter a discussion with others to get their help or ideas on a project that you are working on, or even just chit chat about nothing that matters at all, sounds like a really neat one to me!To start things off - Please comment if you would frequent ScrapChat if it were available.In your comment please introduce yourself, maybe let us know the state you live in (if you don't mind) and what your favorite thing to do is! I would like to test it out. Though I KNOW it is not what I want it to be YET...Baby Steps.. sigh.. ;)Tell your friends and fellow sewests, let's see how many people we can spread this awesomeness to and really get the good times rolling!1-2-3-GO!I am literally dancing in my chair over this!! =D

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Happy day, happy day!Why...? I don't know. Just feels like a pretty good day, I guess! =)The first day of school went great! Not only are my boys happy, they are very satisfied with their teachers and each have a good smattering of friends in their class(es)! It really doesn't get ANY better than that!Except.. They also both said that they really like (insert grade here, 3rd & 7th, haha), so that just tops it! =DSo on to the Actual purpose of this post!It might be a Great day but even Great days can have frustrating moments..This frustrating moment is actually from a couple of days ago, but it is still eating at me. I posted Playing with Batiks-Here and I was sewing strips together like Whoa! As I'm cruising along, I decide that having about half of the strips sewn means I could block SOME of them, at least! =D

I grab my awesome ruler, slide my machine back and line everything up.

So far - so good!

I want 6.5" blocks, so I cut where necessary.

THAT is precisely the moment that I realized that it doesn't MATTER what I want!! DUH! I WANT squares.. and my blocks are taller than 6.5"..DOH!!

That, of course, means that I cut them wrong and I now have rectangles!

I'm very HAPPY that it wasn't the block that I have attached above, I really like that one. haha

I like the one I messed up too, so I will see if I can incorporate it at the end and change things up.

If I can say anything about myself it is that I like when things are different!

But I could decide to just leave it out. Either way.

So... at that point I decided that I really couldn't do anymore anyway and I haven't tried to cut more since. LOL -I'm scared.

I HAVE since measured and know exactly how big I need to cut them, now.

I'm just a worry wort and couldn't stand screwing up anything else!

But Tonight, it is SO on!! haha!

I just thought that I would share a stupid goof up that I made..

You can't see the NEW QUILTER written on my forehead, can you!?

I've been trying to sew it away..lol

I hope my blunder made you laugh.. I wasn't laughing IN the moment, but I can laugh now. **shaking my head**Have you ever blundered anything!? Did you incorporate it anyway or did you chuck it into the scraps pile!?If you like my blog please follow me! I've been trying to grow followers and it's definatily been working! If you already follow me, THANK YOU! =DI hope you have a terrific day and God Bless!

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

It's a wonderfully homey store in the middle of the Big City. I just love that!If I wanted a BIG commercial store, I would shop at Joann's, you know?!The owner, Martha, is Very helpful, full of wonderful information and a total peach!Being new to quilting, I am looking for all of the helpful tips that I can get from experienced sewests and quilters! She gave me several! ..Some of which I am still trying to remember! HA..Dang!One of the best tips that she gave me is this;To set your quilt in the first wash, use 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup of vinegar, right into the washing machine! (Since prewashing precuts is just crazy!! Imagine the knots jelly roll strips would make, eek!)Front Porch Quilts is fantastic!They do custom quilts, memory pillows, memory quilts, custom T-shirt quilts, machine embroidery and longarm quilting and finishing services!They also have a TON of Classes and she is still adding to the site!WOW! That is a GREAT list of services!I seen some of the quilts in her shop (and I am KICKING myself that I didn't think to snap a couple of pictures!). She does beautiful work!If you are looking for a custom quilt for yourself or as a gift, Martha and Front Porch Quilts is there for you!Front Porch Quiltsis also sponsoring my next giveaway! So watch for more information on that later this month.Side note... I also found THE cat fabric that I have been searching for in her store!I have looked online quite a bit and couldn't find THE one.. Well.. 5 minutes at Front Porch Quilts and the kitties were calling out to me! It's a kitty cat panel, there are 2 of each pose!

My 8 year old son LOVES cats (he can't have one at home but his grand-parents and other relatives have cats, so that's something, at least)..ANYWAY.. We were talking and he said he would love the curtains in his room to have cats on them. Who wouldn't, am I right!? ha!I don't know if You have ever tried to find cat fabric before, there is a LOT of pink and purple.. :(While my boy likes pink, I just didn't want it to be too girly. For some reason, society thinks that ALL cat (anything, shirts, sheets, you name it) should be ultra girly! O, and let's always make them kittens.. ugh.. So Anyhow. I am totally thrilled that I will be able to start on my little guys kitty cat curtains! That will probably be a Christmas thing. :DNow, I just need to figure out what I can make for my 12 year old boy and my husband for Christmas.. Can't have them feeling left out :)Regardless, you can Bet your bottom dollar AND mine, that I will be posting all of that kitty fun right here! I have several ideas on how I want to make those, so you will have to wait and see!That's all for now!Have a wonderful week and God Bless!

Hello all!I want to Thank everyone that entered my Giveaway!I had a lot of fun watching as it progressed!

I used Google to search for a random number and the winner is.... Drum roll please...Madison Leggewie!I'm thrilled that you get to rock this pattern, Madison!I know you can do it! Thanks again to all who entered! I am ALREADY planning my next giveaway, I can't wait!There will be more details later this month!Happy Scrappin and God Bless!

Sunday, September 4, 2016

The entries are starting to rack up, too!Don't miss out, this pattern looks so fun and it isn't as complicated as it may seem! Never judge a pattern by it's cover!! HA!!I will do the drawing on 9/6, stay tuned!Happy Scrappin and God Bless!

Friday, September 2, 2016

Hello all!I hope today finds you all doing well and in good health!I was perusing a blog that I like and ran across a One Monthly Goal link-up Party at Red Letter Quilts! It's a fun blog and there are all sorts of people that link up to their goal-setting parties! You can check out all of their projects in the beginning of the month and at the end, those that meet their goal post the result AND there is a giveaway! How fun AND motivating!So I decided to give it a shot!! As you may know already, from my post a couple of days ago, I have been Playing With Batiks! ( <--original post there! =)So I decided to set my goal as follows..I just started (perfect timing, right!) making a HST quilt topper..(I THINK that's what it is, essentially..) On YouTube, Missouri Quilts calls it the Jelly Roll quilt Pattern by 3 Dudes. lol.. Whew.. Quite the name on that one.SO, I have 2.5 groups of the strips sewn together, so far. I plan to finish sewing all of my groups , cutting them into blocks, sewing the blocks together (right sides facing) and cutting into triangles.. Which would make the squares once ironed flat! Does ANY of that make sense to you!?I hope so.. Because I am not sure how I could re-word it! haWell.. Maybe a picture would help anyway..

These are folded so I could get an easier picture. :)

I really like the combos.. and even if I am a Little bit unsure, I know that once they are in their final homes it will look awesome! (fingers crossed!!)

Wish me Luck!!

That is my September goal!

Do You have a goal??

Oh.. My birthday is the 13th.. Maybe we should do something fun since I am getting old!! I'll have to think about that!

Happy Friday All!I just LOVE getting the mail these days! There is little better than opening your door to discover that your surprise is here!! Even if it isn't a surprise because I ordered it all myself.. It Still counts!

Thanks to eQuilter.com and the awesome sale they had last week, with free shipping to boot! I have enough Batiks to keep me busy for a while!!

Just look at that beautiful box of goodies!!

..I never thought I'd think of a box as beautiful, go figure..

I would love to spread them all out and take pictures of each one. That way you can really see how pretty they are.. But I don't think either of us have that kind of patience! hahaNow that I am working with Batiks, I will have to figure out a great way to use these, which will be easy...as soon as I get to number 157 on the Dreaded List Of Things To Do....ugh...oh....and 15 on the Wonderful List Of Things To Sew!! HA!On a side note... School for my boys starts on Tuesday.. I was able to do so much sewing over summer that I am sad to see it go! I plan to keep up with myself as best as I can and keep posting often but that can get tricky between work, dinner, homework and allll of that fun stuff. Just an FYI.. I still love you lots!! MUAH! =D

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Happy almost weekend, all!I hope your weeks are finishing up nicely!I have been DYING to work with Batiks.. I have some at home already and everything.. But, you know how you worry that it just won't turn out right, so you never want to "waste" it, or you want to save it for JUST the right project..?Yea, That's me. What if the way I put it together is so hideous that I can't even Look at it, much less post about it!?I bit the bullet last night and finally opened my very first jelly roll, and of course, it's Batiks!! =DIt was so exciting! Finally being able to look at all the colors and interest on these fabrics is awesome! I've been looking all morning trying to find the name of this blasted fabric! Somehow it is so buried in my email that I can't pin it down... As genius as Google is, it has NO idea what I am looking for! ha..grrSo I will get that later and put it's name Here. lol Update!!OK.. So I brought the tag with me today! =D They are Fiji Batiks - ModaANYWAY!I threw caution to the wind and opened that puppy right up. You know, I think I heard angels and their heavenly song! I decided before I even opened it what I was doing with it. I could find the name for that too, I guess. haha! My description of it is just funny..You know, that quilt where you sew 4 strips together, cut into squares then sew 2 squares facing each other together then cut into triangles then sew THOSE into squares... Did you catch all of that!?Missouri Quilt Co. calls it the "Jelly Roll quilt pattern by 3 dudes" on YouTube.. So I'll go with that! haMy NEXT quilt will have to be the jelly roll race. That looks just plainfun!I thought I would share with you the groupings that I made.. It is a little loud to look at, at this point. They are grouped by 4 and the second layer is sitting on top of the first.. My second row is nice and straight.. but the back row is a bit more spread out, sorry..

I decided that once I made my groups (aside from 2 that I needed to switch) I was not moving anything! I would be at my table all night trying to make it perfect.. Thank goodness I realized that with the fun pattern idea that I am using it's not really necessary! WHEW!I hoped to get more done that very first night but you know how that is.. My bobbin is almost out, anyway, so I'll refill tonight and go to it, if I can!Here is my very first sewn strips! I already have my wonderings about it.. but I am sticking to my guns. I am not switching strips around!! Unless you think I should...Should I!? haha...

I love the look of these prints so much! They are definitely me, Bright!They will look so awesome in our living room, on our new couch!..and here, I was going to crochet an afghan for in there.. Guess I have that yarn for another project! ha- as if I can get back into crochet after quilting!!! So THAT is my fun, for now!I am dying to get the rest sewn up so I can start blocking and really see what it'll look like!Thanks for checking in! Are you working on any quilts or fun projects? I'd love to see them!Don't forget to Join My Giveaway, it ends on 9/6 and the entries are stacking up!!Have a Scrappy Day and God Bless!

All About Me!

I am the mom of 2 boys (9 & 12) and married to a great guy! I work full time and spend every moment that I can behind my sewing machine.
I have Rheumatoid Arthritis but I try not to let that get me down!